​Dr. Tara A. Retson won the Roentgen Fund President's Award for her research entitled "Real-World Clinical Performance of Deep Learning for Segmentation and Quantification of Biventricular Cardiac Size and Function." Dr. Retson joined UCSD this year as a member of the Radiology Research Track. After her year of research this past year, she will join the Clinical Radiology residents for the 4 year Radiology clinical residency.

Congratulations, Professor Don Resnick, who is being honored at the annual American College of Radiology (ACR) annual meeting in Washington DC with its highest honor; the gold medal. The ACR gold medal is awarded for extraordinary lifetime accomplishments benefiting the practice or science of Radiology, and indicates the individuals who have architected radiology as it is globally practiced today.

Professor Resnick, besides being among the most recognized radiologists by any measure, is also among the most beloved. He is known for his warmth, brilliance, and for his exceptional and extraordinary teaching. Famously, he is known for establishing the science of radiology-pathology correlation where musculoskeletal science is concerned, and for training generations of musculoskeletal imagers truly excelling in this activity where both quantity and quality of trainees is concerned. His personal touch through his premier fellowship has been in directly and in large part contributory to the development and maturation of the subspecialty in its current iteration.

The gold medal will be awarded on Sunday May 20th, 2018, and we will be with Don in spirit if not in body. Thank you Professor Resnick for bringing luster and recognition in large measure to UCSD, we are indebted.​

Dr. Alexander Norbash, Radiology Chair and Associate Vice Chancellor of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, hosted UCSD's June 21 LGBT flag-raising ceremony on the Hillcrest Medical Center lawn. Speakers celebrating inclusion includedUCSD senior leaders, along with California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Later that evening, theMedical Center was lit upin rainbow colors, a visual declaration of pride that can be seen from miles away. The rainbow lights will remain throughout July.

​Radiology graduates were celebrated and roasted at a Commencement Dinner at the Ida and Cecil Green Faculty Club on Saturday, June 10, 2017. Soon, the graduates will saddle up for the next legs of their professional journeys. Many have accepted subspecialty fellowship positions across the United States; five will stay on as UCSD fellows: Drs. Anthony Tadros (Musculoskeletal), Rebecca Rakow-Penner (Women's Imaging), Charles Li (Neuroradiology), Marin McDonald (Neuroradiology), and Kathleen Jacobs (Cardiovascular).

​The Association of University Radiologists (AUR) recognized the outstanding career achievements of William Bradley, Jr, MD, PhD, FACR, and UCSD Radiology Chairman Emeritus at the 2017 AUR Annual Meeting in Hollywood, Florida. The association presented Dr. Bradley with the Gold Medal, AUR's most prestigious award. In a Medalist Tribute, Dr. Bradley is described as a "pioneer in our field," and "a thought leader in applying the power of imaging technology to better understand and treat disease." Dr. Bradley is an expert in magnet resonance (MR) who has advance the field through his long tenure as a researcher, clinician, mentor, writer, and leader.

This month's Corner Clinic, UC San Diego Health's health expert's answer column, features Anne Roberts, MD, presenting the latest advances in fibroid tumor treatment. "Traditionally, the treatment for symptomatic fibroids was a hysterectomy," says Roberts. Today, she explains, MR can be used to non-invasively heat and kill fibroid tissue with an ultrasound beam. "The MR-guided procedure is conceptually similar to burning a hole in a piece of paper by focusing a beam of sunlight with a magnifying glass," Roberts says.

Anne Roberts, MD, UCSD Radiology

UCSD Radiology faculty attend CIBR Showcase to advocate for imaging research 4/1/2017 - UCSD Radiology's Rebecca Rakow-Penner, Bill Bradley, Claude Sirlin, and Albert Hsiao attended the 2017 Coalition for Imaging and Bioengineering Research (CIBR) Showcase on
Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. CIBR is a coalition between industry, academia and patient advocacy groups, whose purpose is to advocate for increased imaging research funding. Rebecca Rakow-Penner, MD, PhD is Chair of the Council of Early Career Investigators.

A new genetic test predicts age-associated risk for Alzheimer's Disease 3/27/2017 - A new polygenic hazard scoring (PHS) system has been developed by a research team led by UC San Diego and UC San Francisco scientists. Anders Dale, PhD, director for the Center of Translational Imaging and Precision Medicine at UCSD, reports that the novel genetic test may be used to predict both the lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease and the age of disease onset.

UCSD Radiology promotes a culture of wellness3/27/2017 - Megan Hellfeld, MD, and Rebecca Rakow-Penner, MD, PhD, collaborated with the UCSD Healer Education Assessment and Referral Program (HEAR) and the department of Psychiatry to establish the Radiology Wellness Program. Isabel Newton, MD, PhD, and James Chen, MD, co-mentors of the program, will present on burnout and resilience at Grand Rounds in the summer of 2017.

I am sharing with you a profound article written by a fellow physician that I hope you will read. It so beautifully articulates why we must strive to foster a culture of wellness and balance and reject the ingrained biases that have allowed us to accept burnout as normal and to stigmatize mental illness and marginalize those who seek treatment.

As you may know, our own Megan Hellfeld and Rebecca Rakow have spearheaded a singular Radiology Wellness Program at UCSD, in collaboration with the HEAR program. The HEAR program (of which we are members) gives talks on burnout, depression, and suicide and connects healthcare providers in distress to resources. Megan and Rebecca started by submitting an RSNA grant and enlisting the support of members of the Psychiatry department in helping lead our residents in wellness activities. Jim Chen and I serve as co-mentors and will be giving Grand Rounds on burnout and resilience this summer. Dr. Norbash has been extraordinarily supportive of these endeavors. We look forward to developing this program together and welcome your feedback.

If you would like to be connected with resources confidentially through the HEAR Program, please know that your privacy will be protected. All referrals are handled by the HEAR program social workers - this information is not shared with me or any other member of the HEAR committee.

Being a member of the HEAR committee has been very rewarding and fulfilling, thanks to the generosity and dedication of the people involved. I am also proud to be part of a department that is recognizing the value of promoting a culture of wellness and balance. Together, we can cultivate an environment where we can be kind to ourselves, supportive of each other, and helpful to our patients.